Archived: Excelcare Homecare Division (Mottingham Branch)

Updated 24 February 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014. This inspection was prompted in part by concerns shared by an anonymous person. The information shared with CQC about the concerns indicated potential concerns about the arrangements for the management of medicines of people using the service. The inspection was undertaken to make sure people currently using the service were safe.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we held about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the service had sent to Care Quality Commission. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

This inspection took place on 12 and 13 January 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the service is a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors, and an expert by experience carried out phone calls to people and their relatives. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

During the inspection we looked at 15 people’s care records and nine staff records. We also looked at records related to the management of the service such as details about the administration of medicines, complaints, accidents and incidents, and quality assurance and monitoring. We spoke with eight people who used the service and 21 relatives about their experience of using the service. We also spoke with the area manager, the manager and 12 members of staff.

Updated 24 February 2017

Excelcare Homecare Division (Mottingham Branch) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their homes. At the time of the inspection 107 people were using the service.

This announced inspection took place on 12 and 13 January 2017. This was the provider’s first inspection since their registration in August 2016. This inspection was prompted in part by a concerns shared by an anonymous person. The information shared with CQC about the concerns indicated potential concerns about the about the arrangements for the management of medicines of people using the service. This inspection examined those concerns.

We found that the arrangements for the management of medicines of people using the service were not robust. Some medicine errors were not fully investigated and managed appropriately and some staff had not been fully assessed as competent to administer medicines, following their medicines training in line with the provider’s policy. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

At this inspection we found a breach of regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities), Regulations 2014 in relation to safe care and treatment.

The service had a system to assess and monitor the quality of the care people received. However, the system had failed to identify the errors in relation to the management of medicines and this requires improvement.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. However, currently a new manager was in day to day management of this service and their application for a registered manager was being processed by CQC.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the staff. The service had clear procedures to recognise and respond to abuse. All staff completed safeguarding training. Senior staff completed risk assessments for people who used the service which provided sufficient guidance for staff to minimise identified risks. The service had a system to manage accidents and incidents to reduce reoccurrence.

The service had enough staff to support people and carried out satisfactory background checks of staff before they started working. The service had an on call system to make sure staff had support outside the office working hours. The service provided an induction and training, and supported staff through regular supervision and annual appraisal to help them undertake their role.

People’s consent was sought before care was provided. The manager was aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and acted according to this legislation.. At the time of inspection they told us they were not supporting any people who did not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves.

Staff supported people with food preparation. People’s relatives coordinated health care appointments to meet people’s needs, and staff were available to support people to access health care appointments if needed.

People told us they were consulted about their care and support needs. Staff supported people in a way which was caring, respectful, and protected their privacy and dignity. Staff developed people’s care plans that were tailored to meet their individual needs. Care plans were reviewed regularly and were up to date.

The service had a clear policy and procedure for managing complaints. People knew how to complain and would do so if necessary. Staff felt supported by the manager.